Mortal Kombat Tournament Edition
by cerealkiller49
Summary: 7 Kombatants and 1 OC are about to compete in a TOURNAMENT (and not a one man vs. all brawl) for the destiny of Earthrealm. Ratings will hopefully rise, as a T story for a M game is just lame.
1. Johnny Cage

**So the title may have been completely copied from the Gameboy version of Deadly Alliance, but hey, shush. This is what I think the first game would be like if it was more like a tournament and not a one-man vs. everyone. The story will be written from the perspective of many different characters, not just Johnny Cage, as this chapter is. I know this is not a Mortal Kombat crossover, but I really felt the urge to write this after watching some MK1 gameplay (thanks, eVoluci0n)**

***11/07/13 edit: all chapters have been cleaned up (slightly) but the fight scenes remain largely unchanged. This chapter received the most polishing as Cage's motives for joining the tournament are explained, more details were added and some other stuff happened that I don't remember :/ last time I make changes while intoxicated.**

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**Mortal Kombat Tournament Edition**

**Chapter 1**

The ship had finally reached the island. It had been a long ride, starting from the morning of yesterday and now finally reaching its destination, a total of 46 hours at sea. Of course, the length of the trip was not spent in vain, as hundreds of hopefuls were pitted against each other, with only the eight strongest competitors accepted. The rejected were to leave by boat as soon as they reached shore, and the chosen eight were to advance to the island for the official matches. Of course there were some unexpected delays as a stowaway was discovered (female for that fact) and tried to attack one of the competitors. Subduing the stowaway was quite the hassle, as she proved to be a very fierce warrior, using her wristbands (which fired some sort of fireball) and her hand-to-hand fighting techniques extremely effectively to fight several guards and competitors by herself. But that was the last thing that Johnny Cage noticed. Indeed, the thing that struck Johnny was her flowing, beautiful golden hair. And her face was impressed permanently into his mind, and he couldn't stop thinking about it...

Naturally, the first thing that pops into one's mind is _why is the great Johnny Cage on some random boat in the middle of the ocean instead of filming great films like he usually does? _The answer is quite simple. Nobody wanted him. Everybody thought Cage was a phony. Just because he had gotten drunk and beaten up a few times doesn't mean he doesn't know martial arts. It doesn't mean that he couldn't do the stunts that he did and fight like he fought. His rep was quickly being ruined and nobody wanted to give Cage any part in their movie lest his bad rep would ruin the movie. Frustrated and unable to get a job (and therefore, income), Cage turned to the most prestigious martial arts tournament he could hear of to restore his reputation. And, as fate would have it, the most prestigious tournament he heard of was a less known tournament called Mortal Kombat.

He received an invite to the supposedly world class tournament and was given instructions on how to participate in the tournament. So, following the instructions, Cage found himself in a port in San Francisco boarding the ship in harbor 7. He was knocked aside by some ruffian running past him onto the ship, but was otherwise left alone. He boarded the ship, and looked for someone to ask for further directions. Though the boat was big, he could not find a single soul. Thus, he proceeded into the bowls of the boat, and was surprised to see a gathering of several hundred in a big room in the center of the boat. As he entered the room, he was told by one of the guards standing next to the door that he was to remain in the room for further instructions. Doing as he was told, he waited for an hour before a magical voice (and it truly was magical. It was loud enough to drown out the noise of several hundred people talking in an enclosed room, but no one could locate the speaker; it sounded like the voice was coming from everywhere) explained that, while the boat sailed for the island that the actual tournament was to take place on, the hundreds of hopefuls will have to go through a screening process as only the top 8 were allowed to compete in the actual tournament.

The screening process wasn't so challenging. It was essentially a mini-tournament in itself, with various arenas set throughout the ship. Two competitors were called in at a time to fight each other. The winner of the fight would remain eligible as a competitor while the loser would be sent to the back of the ship, where all the losers would gather until the boat reached the island, and they would ride it back to the harbor where they had come from. Being Johnny Cage, he easily beat the scrubs he was matched against. He did, however, see some pretty intense fighters though, like the man with the straw hat who kept diving at his opponents while yelling and the monk who zipped all over the place with his flying kicks. Indeed, if he was matched against one of those people his chances of making it to the official tournament would have dropped significantly. Not that it would've mattered, he was Johnny Cage after all. If anyone had the balls to stand up to him, he would soon lose them…

Looking at the island from the boat, the first thing that struck Cage was the tall mountains of the island. They rose sharply out of the island, and had very steep faces. There also appeared to be several bridges stretching across some of the mountains. He could also vaguely see that there was a road leading from the docks up to what appeared to be a palace of some sort.

Now as the gangplank was lowered and he and the other contestants stepped onto the island, he took a look at his competition. Both the monk and the straw-hat man had advanced, as well as the stowaway, who appeared to have impressed the officials so much that they deemed her fit to advance. Also with them were two ninjas, one dressed in yellow garments, who was staring intensely at the other ninja, who was dressed in blue garments. Though they were dressed similarly, he could tell immediately that they were not on friendly terms. There was also a strange man who had a portion of his face covered with a metal plate.

_Heck_, thought Cage. _Everyone here is pretty strange. I mean, you don't see a monk, a straw-hat wearing weirdo, two ninjas and a movie star together every day._

The last person in their group was...different. Not because he was strange like all the rest, but because he looked...normal. About five foot ten, slightly muscular build, dark skin, there was nothing about him that struck Johnny as strange or weird. While normally that would be good, in a tournament of weirdoes, being normal is one thing you don't want to be.

The group was led up a winding trail that led to an impressive looking palace. First they passed the palace gates, decorated with statues of Buddha and lions on pedestals. In the background were several pagodas, while far off in the distance were rolling hills and lush green trees. There were also a few guards, who donned strange black and white masks, which made them look somewhat like foxes. Dressed in green robes and brandishing spears, they were quite intimidating, as they did not move a single bit at all, but stood as still as the statues in the background.

Finally they were led into the courtyard. It was a beautiful sight to behold. By the time they all arrived, the sun had already set and several torches were already lit; though, with the full moon and the bright stars, that was hardly necessary. Brilliant, silver moonlight and orange firelight reflected off the ridiculously shiny marble tiles of the arena in the center of the courtyard. A steady drum beat began, and a procession of monks began entering the courtyard from both sides. They walked slowly behind a small stone barrier, and sat down, leaving only their upper bodies visible. As the drum beat continued, an old man dressed finely in a blue robe that ended in a skirt appeared from behind a fancy throne, and walked up to address the tournament participants.

"Welcome, Kombatants, to the 20th Mortal Kombat tournament. I am your host, Shang Tsung! In the coming days, each of you will fight in Mortal Kombat. Fights are scheduled to be one a day. While you wait, you can enjoy everything the island has to offer, such as the breathtaking scenery and the pristine beach, and even challenge some of your fellow Kombatants to some Kombat. If you manage to defeat all your opponents, you will face the defending Champion, Goro. And, if you manage to defeat him, you will face me in one final match before being declared the new Champion of Mortal Kombat."

Cage sneered. _That old geezer is the last person I have to beat? Might as well name me the new champion right now_.

Shang Tsung turned his gaze onto him at once, as if reading his thoughts.

"We will have our first match right now. Our first Kombatant will be Mr. Cage."

Though he was slightly surprised that the old man had apparently read his thoughts, he was not intimidated. "Alright! Who's it gonna be?" challenged Cage cockily.

"Your opponent will be...Raiden."

There was a flash of lightning and a loud crackling of thunder as the mentioned Kombatant appeared onto the arena. Cage immediately recognized the person as the straw-hat man.

"That's some nice special effects there man!" exclaimed Cage. "How'd you set up all your stuff so quickly? We just got here like, ten minutes ago! Hey, if you ever need a job, call me up; I could really use someone with your talents!"

Raiden appeared to ignore him and instead formed a ball of electricity in his hands and pointed it at Cage.

"Wow! Keep it up and I may just hire you right now," said a very impressed Cage, oblivious of what was really happening.

"I am sorry mortal," sighed Raiden. "This may be the very last Mortal Kombat tournament ever to be held on Earthrealm, and I cannot allow that to happen. I will do my best to make this fast."

While Cage had been busy impressed by all of Raiden's "special effects", the thunder god had been charging up a massive energy blast, which was now ready to be fired.

"Hey don't worry man, I'll make sure it's fast," started Cage. "But what do you mean by mort-"

Whatever he was going to say was cut off as Raiden unleashed his energy blast and knocked Cage off his feet and almost out of the arena, though Cage slid to a stop before almost falling off.

"I don't know what that was," coughed Cage as he stood up. "But man that packs a punch! Guess you didn't make it into the final 8 for no reason, huh? Better get ready, cuz here I come!"

With that, Cage used one of his special techniques, the Shadow Kick, as he sped towards his opponent with one foot raised up. Raiden easily ducked under it, however, and proceeded to uppercut the movie star and sent him flying. The audience of monks let out a collective groan as a distinct "ding" sound was heard and Shang Tsung cackled. As Cage got up, he could feel that he couldn't keep fighting much longer. _Man, whatever that guy hit me with really drained my energy. I gotta get in some good hits quick before I'm all out of juice_. However, before he could do anything, Raiden flew at him while screaming gibberish.

"GIMMEMYMONEY!"

With that cry, the thunder god smashed into Cage, shoving him roughly to the ground, where he lay for a really long time.

"Raiden wins," announced Shang Tsung. "Flawless victory."

As soon as he said that, the beaten up Hollywood star got onto his feet.

"Luckily for you, I was just warming up," grinned Cage. "Now it's time for me to CAGE you. Yeah? Yeah?"

Cage looked around to see if anyone was amused. He was severely disappointed.

"Whatever just get ready for a butt-kicking."

"Round two, FIGHT!" declared Shang

Immediately, Raiden launched another flying torpedo at Cage.

"JOHNNYGETINTHECAR!"

However, Cage easily ducked under it and swept Raiden's legs out when he landed.

"What car?" asked Cage. "Besides, I'm trying to kick some guy's ass here...hold on, will you?"

Raiden's figure dissolved into electricity and reemerged behind Cage. The sound gave him away though, and the movie star ducked under an uppercut from the thunder god. Cage then did a spinning kick to Raiden's face, followed up by a couple of jabs. Raiden held his arms in front of him and blocked most of the jabs. Seeing this, the karate prodigy again drew on his powers to use another Shadow Kick, this time connecting solidly with Raiden's chest, knocking him back several steps. Again, the "ding" sound was heard, and Shang Tsung laughed again. _After the beating I gave him, this guy must be about to drop. I'll just finish him now..._. Cage then threw a green bolt at Raiden, which hit him and poleaxed him.

"Johnny Cage wins," declared Shang Tsung. "Flawless victory."

"I knew you were pretty beat up, but that was enough to knock you out?" asked a very surprised Johnny Cage, after he had put on a new pair of sunglasses.

Raiden got back onto his feet with a small smile on his face. He had not expected this mortal to pose such a challenge. In fact, even if he was to lose against him, the thunder god would not be worried about Earthrealm's fate. After all, if this mortal was capable of beating a god, then neither Shang Tsung nor Goro would pose a challenge to him.

"It all comes down to this round, mortal," said Raiden. "I will hold nothing back. Are you ready?"

"Send whatever you want at me, I ain't about to be beat here," replied Cage. "The question is, are _you _ready? Also, why do you keep saying mortal?"

"Round 3...fight!"

Raiden made the first move by launching a torpedo attack at Cage. The movie star braced himself for the impact, and the thunder god bounced off him, right into an uppercut from Cage. The audience groaned as droplets of blood rained onto the stage. Cage advanced towards Raiden as the thunder god backed up slowly. The actor was about to use his Shadow Kick when he received a high kick to the face, causing him to stumble back several steps. Raiden utilized Cage's guard being let down and teleported behind Cage, grabbed him, and threw him back. Cage rolled into a crouch immediately, and threw a green bolt at Raiden. This was easily blocked and the thunder god unleashed a bolt of electricity at Cage, connecting and causing him to stumble back again. Raiden flipped towards Cage and threw out a kick, but the movie star ducked under it and threw an uppercut at Raiden, connecting solidly and sending Raiden airborne. Raiden landed heavily and rolled onto his feet, right into a Shadow Kick from Cage. When Raiden got up again, a "ding" sound was heard and Shang Tsung laughed. The god acted quickly, using his torpedo move to catch Cage off guard, and shoving him a good couple of feet before the actor hit the ground. The "ding" sound was heard again and Shang Tsung cackled.

By this point, both Kombatants were spent and on the verge of being knocked out, and they knew that the other Kombatant was tired too. Simultaneously, Raiden used his torpedo as Cage used his Shadow Kick. They met at the center of the stage, the impact causing a brilliant light explosion. When the light had faded, both contestants were on the ground, unable to continue fighting.

Seeing that neither had won, Shang Tsung came up with a quick way to figure out who would win.

"The Kombatants that gets up first will be declared the winner!"

Both Cage and Raiden struggled to get up, their bodies aching and every limb feeling like it was made of lead. However, Johnny Cage managed to get up just a second before Raiden did. This did not escape Shang Tsung's notice.

"FINISH HIM!"

Johnny looked over at Raiden, who wobbled on his feet.

"Still standing?" asked Johnny. "Take a seat."

With that, Johnny lightly pushed Raiden, and he fell to the ground butt-first.

"Johnny Cage wins!" said a very disappointed Shang Tsung.

"Oh yeah!" boasted a very tired, albeit proud, Johnny. "I dedicate this victory to a ravishing blonde beauty, who is in the audience right now!" With that, he put on a pair of sunglasses that he took out from his pockets and pointed suavely at Sonya. "That was for you, baby." She promptly rolled her eyes and looked away.

"Very good Mr. Cage," said Shang Tsung. "The tournament will continue at dawn, with the two next two Kombatants to be...Scorpion and Sub-zero! You will be shown to your rooms."

The audience of monks started to disperse, as did the guards. Johnny was about to find somebody to escort him to his lodgings when he was approached by his opponent.

"You fought well," remarked Raiden.

"Hey, thanks! You too," said Cage. "Oh yeah, I've been meaning to ask you...why do you keep calling me mortal? What kind of role playing are you doing? And nice hat, where'd you get it?"

"Let me answer that in order," replied the thunder god with a chuckle. "I call you mortal because I am Raiden, god of thunder and protector of Earthrealm. What you call "special effects" are not special effects but actual lightning, which I have power over. This is the ninth consecutive victory in Mortal Kombat for Outworld and, if they win again, the emperor Shao Kahn will be able to merge our realm with his, a horrible, twisted world. All this is true, and I am making none of this up; I am not a role-player. In fact, I am only in this mortal form to participate in this tournament. Other times I manifest myself as flashes of lightning and peals of thunder. Finally, I conjured up this hat. I got this idea 500 years ago when I saw someone wearing it...it looks good."

"God of lightning? Protector of Earthrealm? Earthrealm and Outworld? 500 years ago? Call me skeptical, but it sure sounds like you're either a very devout role-player or crazy. I'm not gonna lie, the lightning and thunder does look and sound pretty real, but I survived several electric blasts head-on...most people can't even survive one! In fact, I'm pretty sure you're crazy. I mean, why do you insist on screaming gibberish as you launch yourself at me?"

This earned another chuckle out of Raiden. "But then, how would you explain my ability to turn my physical form into lightning? You've seen yourself during the fight that I could teleport behind you and send blasts of electricity at you. What will it take to convince you that I am not lying?"

"Hmm... Next morning, I'll take you to a random area of the island, and you must show me your so-called powers. I'm going to check the surrounding area and you to make sure that there's no rigging. If you can really summon lightning, I'll be a believer."

"Very well, mortal. Tomorrow morning after the fight, bring me anywhere and I will amaze you."

"I'm looking forward to it," said Cage as he turned to leave. "Now, where'd all the guards go? I gotta get to my room..."

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**There, that's the first chapter. Man, I hate writing dialogue. I have no idea how to write it and it's hard for me to get into the mind of another character and write dialogue that sounds like it would actually come from his/her mouth. I swear that's my weakest point. Also my lack of proofreading :/ Upon rereading the story, I realize that, in the third round, Raiden barely got hit at all, and Cage never used his nut-punch once...I'll make sure to add it in the next time he fights. Next chapter, Scorpion vs. Sub-zero and Raiden shows off his stuff ;) And review, please...I got my first few reviews and MAN does it give a good feeling.  
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	2. Scorpion

**Mortal Kombat Tournament Edition Chapter 2 is out! So fast! I just got a huge burst of inspiration as soon as I posted chapter one, and I wrote this in a record amount of time (several days I think, not even a week!). Enjoy, this is only Scorpion vs. Sub-zero, further adventures of Johnny Cage and Raiden will be in the next chapter.**

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**Mortal Kombat Tournament Edition**

**Chapter 2**

It was finally time. Time for vengeance. Today was the day that he would finally face his nemesis again and this time, he would emerge the victor. After the long boat ride here and a rather uneventful first round, Scorpion was ready to finally avenge his clan. Being a hell-spawn specter, he did not need sleep, but instead spent the night training in anticipation for the morning. In fact, the only reason Scorpion even left the courtyard was to find out where he could go if he wanted to be alone (his room). As soon as he found it, he returned to the courtyard for training. When he saw the first light of dawn, he ceased training and stood on the stage, facing the throne on which Shang Tsung normally sat on. He stood there waiting until all the other Kombatants and their host arrived. Needless to say, everyone received a mild shock when they saw him standing on the stage, except for Sub-zero. He received a enormous shock. Such a large shock that it made Raiden slightly jealous.

"Welcome back Kombatants!" announced Shang Tsung. "I trust you all had a good night's rest."

"STOP STALLING," roared Scorpion. "I DEMAND SUB-ZERO. I DEMAND REVENGE. DO AWAY WITH THE FORMALITIES AND LET THE FIGHT BEGIN."

"Very well," said Shang Tsung with narrow eyes (narrower than they normally are). "Sub-zero, you are up."

Sub-zero leaped onto the stage and faced Scorpion.

"I've defeated you once already. It will be a breeze to beat you a second time," sneered Sub-zero.

"Wrong," said Scorpion. "I have been reborn as a specter, and I am driven by revenge and vengeance for my clan. You will be the first of your clan to die in my unstoppable retribution."

"You are the one who is wrong, Scorpion. This fight will be your last!"

"Round 1...FIGHT!"

Scorpion threw out his right arm in a jab, and it looked like he was going to throw his spear, so Sub-zero flipped back. However, that was a feign by Scorpion as he actually teleported behind the cryomancer and punched him in the back back, sending him flying. The hell-spawn then threw out his spear and snagged Sub-zero in midair, and pulled him in as he yelled "GET OVER HERE!". Sub-zero flew smack into an uppercut from Scorpion, and was knocked airborne. The audience of monks groaned at the brutality of the hits.

"You have gotten stronger," remarked the Lin Kuei ninja as he got up. "But I have a mission to complete, and you will not stop me."

"Based on the ass-kicking I just gave you, it doesn't look like you'll finish your task," sneered Scorpion.

Sub-zero smirked. "When I killed you the first time, I was not even using my full potential. And though you may have gotten stronger, I doubt I will need to use it this time either."

"I will kill you before you get to use your full potential," growled Scorpion, eyes narrowing. "Not that it would matter, I have gotten exponentially stronger since my rebirth."

Sub-zero did not respond, but instead slid at Scorpion and knocked him into the air. The cryomancer followed up with an ice blast which froze Scorpion in midair. Sub-zero then walked up to the specter's frozen form and viciously uppercutted him. The monks groaned collectively, and the brutality of the action earned a "EXCELLENT" from Shang Tsung.

"I'm only fighting you at the level I fought at last time," said Sub-zero. "And it seems like you can't handle it. I really won't have to go all-out."

Scorpion got up, eyes blazing. "You fight without honor and caught me off guard. That will not happen again."

With those words, Scorpion threw out his spear, which Sub-zero ducked under. The Lin Kuei ninja flipped towards Scorpion, but he jumped up and snap-kicked Sub-zero out of the air. As soon as he landed, he rolled back onto his feet, and got into a defensive position as the specter started advancing at him. Scorpion launched himself at Sub-zero in a flurry of punches and kicks, but the cyromancer blocked most of the blows, dodging the ones he could not block. Seeing that his attacks were not connecting, Scorpion started attacking more furiously, but that caused him to lower his guard. Sub-zero took full advantage of that and ducked beneath one of Scorpions jabs and knocked him viciously in the breadbasket, winding him and temporarily immobilizing him. The cryomancer quickly followed up on that and froze the undead wraith, then uppercutting him. Scorpion recovered in midair and used his teleporting move to get behind Sub-zero and jabbed him, sending him reeling forward. He then threw out his harpoon, sinking deep into Sub-zero's chest while he was still recovering, and pulled the ninja towards him with an almighty "COME HERE!". Scorpion proceeded to smack around the cryomancer with a series of punches and kicks, ending with a huge uppercut that sent the ninja a good six feet into the air. Sub-zero landed with a loud crunch and everyone could tell that he would not be getting up.

"Scorpion wins," announced Shang Tsung.

At those words, Sub-zero staggered onto his feet. He was breathing hard and held his left hand to his side, his blue garments now appearing purple in some places. Scorpion looked similar, but had orange spots instead of purple, and did not have to hold his side.

"That was a pretty loud crunch, Sub-zero," sneered Scorpion. "What did you break?"

"Nothing important you Shirai Ryu scum," said Sub-zero through gritted teeth. With that, he gave his side a blast of cold ice, numbing the area and bringing immediate relief. "I see I will have to fight seriously after all. If you land even one hit on me this round, I will have disgraced the name of the Lin Kuei."

"HA! If that's the case, the name of the Lin Kuei will be a name unworthy of dogs after I'm done with you," laughed Scorpion.

"I will eradicate you as we did the rest of your pathetic clan!"

"Round 2...FIGHT!"

Both Kombatants ran at each other with a roar and met at the center of the arena, where they sparred for a few seconds. Once again, Scorpion got too aggressive, and Sub-zero managed to grab an arm when the specter overextended. The cryomancer flipped Scorpion onto his back and punted him several yards. The undead ninja recovered quickly and threw out his spear, which Sub-zero ducked under. He continued to be aggressive by teleporting behind the Lin Kuei ninja, but Sub-zero jumped out of the way. They circled around each other for a few seconds before Sub-zero made the first move by sweeping out Scorpion's legs. The hellspawn tried to spear the cryomancer when he got up, but Sub-zero jumped over it and kicked Scorpion in the face, knocking him onto his back. Sub-zero continued to press his advantage by sliding into Scorpion and knocking him up, setting him up for a tremendous uppercut, which was followed by a high kick to the jaw as Scorpion fell. As Scorpion came down to earth, the "ding" sound was heard again, followed by a chuckle from Shang Tsung.

Scorpion was furious. Not only had he not landed a single blow on Sub-zero, but he was being beat up hard, by the man who killed him, the man who murdered his family and his clan. Not only was his revenge being thwarted, but also vengeance and retribution for his fallen brothers. _Unacceptable. I vowed to kill Sub-zero and the rest of his cowardly clan, but here he is and he's destroying me...again. No...VENGEANCE WILL BE MINE!_ With a roar, Scorpion leaped at Sub-zero, his fists blazing like his eyes and drawn back, but was knocked out by a bolo punch from the cryomancer.

"Sub-zero wins," said Shang Tsung. "Flawless victory."

"Hahahaha!" laughed Sub-zero. "Not a single blow landed. What was that about the name of the glorious Lin Kuei being unworthy of dogs? I think you meant to say the name of the Shirai Ryu instead, weakling. You are an exemplar of your clan, weak and full of boasting but no actions. Prepare to die!"

"It's not over yet," growled Scorpion. "If you've only humiliated me, I would not mind as much. Indeed, losing to you the first time was my own fault, I will not deny that, but insulting the name of the fallen is something I will not stand for. Last round I may not have landed a single blow on you, but this round I intend to fully rectify that."

"Round 3...FIGHT!"

Sub-zero sneered and made the first move, charging at Scorpion and attacking him mercilessly. Scorpion, however, managed to hold his ground and block all of Sub-zero's attacks. Scorpion started is counterattack by ducking under one of the cryomancer's jabs and kicked him in the stomach, causing him to double over. The hellspawn followed that up with an explosive uppercut, sending Sub-zero flying. Scorpion then harpooned Sub-zero out of the air and slammed him into the ground in front of himself so that Sub-zero bounced to a height perfect for a good punch, which Scorpion certainly provided. The blow sent Sub-zero bouncing across the arena as a stone does on water. Scorpion continued to relentlessly assault his opponent by flipping towards his fallen opponent, landing with one foot on Sub-zero's chest, further winding him. The specter grabbed the cryomancer by the black part of his uniform and headbutted him viciously.

"How about that, cryomancer?" taunted Scorpion. "No holds barred and I win. Exemplar of the Shirai Ryu indeed!"

"Finish him!" cried Shang Tsung.

Scorpion ripped off his mask, revealing his skull blazing and his eyes afire.

"PREPARE YOURSELF FOR THE RAGE AND PAIN OF ALL MY FALLEN BRETHREN!"

With that, he unleashed a massive fireball from his mouth that blew up at Sub-zero's feet, the heat instantly melting everything that wasn't bone into liquid and evaporating it soon after.

"Scorpion wins," declared Shang Tsung. "Flawless victory. FATALITY!"

With that said, Scorpion went over to Sub-zero's corpse and ripped off his head with the spine still attached and put it in his pocket (which leads to the Netherrealm).

"That will be a trophy for remembrance," stated Scorpion. "I will do the same to every last member of the Lin Kuei as well. I swear on the graves of my dead kinsmen that I will not rest until the name of the Lin Kuei is wiped from the face of this planet." After saying that, he disappeared in a bright flash of fire.

"I hope you enjoyed that fight," said Shang Tsung. "The rest of the day is yours to enjoy. All meals will be provided, and snacks can be found throughout the island. The next fight will be tomorrow morning, and the Kombatants will be...Sonya and Kano!"

After saying that, he dismissed all the Kombatants, and the audience of monks dispersed in a matter of seconds.

"So," said Cage as he walked up to Raiden. "Ready to show me your 'powers'?"

"Anytime you are," replied Raiden. "But how about breakfast first? All the killing sure made me hungry."

"Sounds good to me."

They both headed towards the nearest pagoda, where there would no doubt be breakfast waiting for them.

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**I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. Scorpion and Sub-zero has been one of my favorites to write about and the dialogue just flows so smoothly for me. I guess I just understand the heated attitudes between those two instead of the douchey boastings of Johnny Cage and the wise words of Raiden. Next chapter: Raiden makes a believer out of Cage.  
**


	3. Raiden

**Getting to more regular updates now XD. I don't usually update as fast as I did the last chapter. I actually forgot about this for a while as I was rediscovering my first love, Halo. After a lot of intimate time together with Halo, I finally remembered about this came back to update it. Do expect future updates to be like this, I am not very regular at all Dx**

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**Chapter 3**

Raiden was completely at ease. Now that he had been eliminated from the tournament the only thing he had to do was relax on the island until the tournament was over, which was still about a week away. Normally, he'd be destroying both Shang Tsung and the island, but he knew that with warriors like Johnny Cage still in the tournament, there was nothing to worry about. All he had to do was convince Cage that everything he claimed was true and that he would have to win the tournament, and Earthrealm would be saved. After a enjoying delicious breakfast at Shang Tsung's magical never-ending waffle bar, he and Cage set out for the area where he would demonstrate again his powers of lightning.

"So, where do you intend to take me?" inquired Raiden.

"Honestly, I don't even know," admitted Cage, who was scratching the back of his head. "I just gotta take you some place open so that I can see there's no props or anything, and I think I can search you thoroughly enough so that I'd know if you have anything up your sleeve."

"Then how about that hilltop over there?" suggested Raiden while pointing at a small ridge a few yards away.

"Looks good, let's go."

When they got to the top of the hill, Raiden stood at the apex while Cage stood a little ways off and looked on.

"What do you want me to do, mortal?" asked Raiden.

"I dunno, make some fancy lightning light shows," answered Cage. "You can do that, right?"

Raiden smiled, and raised his right hand. After a few seconds, clouds had gathered and blocked the sun. After a few more seconds, multicolored lightning started to streak from the heavens, though there was no rain, and the thunders formed a steady beat. Several multicolored bolts of lightning came at once, and it started to look like the inside of a dance club, although the lights lasted only a few seconds. The lightning last for a minute before Raiden let down his arm, and the clouds disappeared in a matter of seconds.

"Convinced yet?" asked Raiden as he looked over at Johnny.

The actor was still staring (while gaping like a fish) at where the lightning was, and the thunder god's words brought him back to reality.

"That...was...amazing...What else can you do?"

Raiden chuckled. "I can control lightning and thunder, as well as charging and transforming my physical form into lightning. Everything I have told you is not a lie, it is the truth. After nine generations, the evil emperor Shao Kahn will finally be able to claim Earthrealm...if the forces of Outworld win this tournament. I had joined the tournament to defeat Shang Tsung and the reigning champion Goro, but-"

"You were defeated...by me," finished Cage. "And now you can't stop them anymore! And if you can't stop them, who is going to stop that Shao Kahn guy from taking over the world?"

"Do not fret," interrupted Raiden. "I joined the tournament knowing that I could defeat Shang Tsung, but I never imagined that I would meet such powerful warriors. If you are capable of besting me, then neither Shang Tsung nor Goro will be a challenge to you. All you have to do is defeat all your opponents and beat Shang Tsung. You are more than capable of this, Johnny. I know it."

Cage still looked unsure, but the words of Raiden appeared to have calmed him some more.

"Alright...if you think I can do it, I'll try my best," he muttered, starting to look more confident. "Heck, I'd win the tournament even without knowing about that Kahn dude and the fate of Earthrealm. Do you have any idea how long I've been without work?"

Raiden smiled. "Come; let us enjoy the rest of the day. The island is quite big and should prove to be interesting to explore."

"Alright. Let's go check out those big buildings over there," suggested Johnny as he pointed at a group of pagodas a little ways away. "After that I wanna go see those mountains in the distance. They really stuck out to me as we approached the island. I wonder if we can climb to the top. Speaking of the top, I was at the top once...of the movie industry. Everyone loved Cage back in those days..."

Raiden stopped listening to Cage after he started talking about his career. He couldn't help smiling as he listened to the person beside him. The thunder god felt a little bit like a parent, watching over and guiding an energetic and (overly) confident little child on his road to saving Earthrealm. As they neared the group of pagodas, Raiden noticed that there seemed to be a commotion in one of the pavilions. He quickly turned Cage's attention to it.

"What in the world is going on?" exclaimed Johnny.

"Let's find out," replied Raiden with determination in his voice.

The pair of them headed towards the pavilion, and a sign on the pavilion read "Warrior Shrine". Several statues lined the back of the pavilion, presumably those of previous Kombatants. At the center of the statues was the statue of the current champion, Goro. It was in the exact likeness of the prince of pain, showing his abnormal body anatomy (his four arms and 10 abdominal muscles) and his usual fearsome expression and it was even carved so that it seemed like his topknot was swaying in the wind. At the feet of the statue was an Australian man with the right side of his face covered with a metal plate and a red, machine eye instead of a normal one standing over the stowaway with his knife drawn.

The man was dressed in loose white robes and turned to face Raiden and Cage when he heard them arriving.

"This is a private party mate," he growled with a slight Australian accent. "Bugger off unless you wanna get hurt."

"Step away from the babe, bub," threatened Cage, who took a step towards Kano.

Without a warning, Kano jumped at Cage and tucked in his arms and legs so that he was like a ball in midair, smashing into Cage and knocking him into a pillar. Cage hit the back of his head on the pillar hard and was knocked out instantly.

"Mess with me ya git? Think twice next time!"

Raiden fired a blast of lightning at Kano and made him back off. "I will not allow you to harm any more of these mortals."

"Prepare to end up like your friend over there."

Kano immediately plucked a butterfly knife that was attached to his belt and threw it at the thunder god. Seeing that, Raiden teleported behind Kano and threw a roundhouse at Kano, causing him to spin so that he was facing Raiden, who proceeded to assault Kano relentlessly with a flurry of punches. Kano managed to recover, however, and caught one of Raiden's legs in mid-kick and swept out the other leg, and Raiden fell to the floor. Kano picked up the thunder god by his robe and headbutted him twice before throwing him into one of the statues that adorned the room. Raiden got up quickly and dived at Kano, but he ducked under it and hit Raiden hard as he sailed over. That sent Raiden smashing into the ceiling, though he did not go through it, he did hit it hard and dropped down to the ground. Kano leaped at him and was about to grab him when Raiden's body dissolved into lightning. Kano landed and scanned the room to find Raiden, but could not find him. Relaxing, he put on a cocky smirk and turned to where Sonya was lying, only to find Raiden's fist in his face. Raiden teleported behind Kano and elbowed him in the back as he was flying towards him and then kicked him up. The thunder god jumped up and grabbed Kano by his arms and threw him into the ground as hard as he could. The impact of Kano hitting the ground shook the floor and Kano coughed blood as he hit the ground. It was evident that Kano would not be getting up anytime soon.

With Kano knocked out, Raiden went over to where Sonya was lying and inspected her to see if she was OK. When he got to her, he saw a grizzly scene. Sonya was covered in cuts and bruises, and she lay in a growing pool of her own blood. Raiden quickly checked her pulse and was relieved to feel that her heart was still beating. Using his electric powers of healing, he healed all her wounds and left her there to recover. Walking over to Cage, Raiden saw that the actor had not sustained any major injuries, just a hard hit to the chest and a bump where his head hit the wall. _Johnny would soon recover but would have a splitting headache for the next few days, _judged Raiden. _It's no good leaving them here. When they come to, they might start fighting again, and I do not want anyone to get hurt (fatally). Guess I'll move the stowaway somewhere else..._ Raiden walked over and picked her up, then flashed away to the area where the Kombatants had their living quarters. Seeing that there were some guards nearby, he set Sonya at their feet and told them to guard her until she came to. Then he teleported back to the Warrior Shrine, where Cage was finally getting up.

"Oh man..." groaned Cage. "My head feels like it's gonna burst."

"The threat is averted," stated Raiden. "We can continue our day of exploration."

"Yeah, yeah...lemme get some aspirin first..."

Cage turned around and stumbled out of the Warrior Shrine, with Raiden following him close behind, chuckling. Even with his splitting headache, Cage could still talk quite a bit, and Raiden felt a hint of Déjà vu as he walked alongside Cage, who was mumbling about how he could've totally beaten the daylight out of Kano. Raiden could not help but feel uneasy as they walked off into the distance. Even with his strength, Cage has proven that he is overconfident and can be taken out easily if one was to take advantage of that. _I'm counting on you mortal. Win._

* * *

**So there it is, Cage was useless and Kano knocked the stuffing out of Sonya in their first encounter. Their official match has not yet come however, and Sonya will not allow Kano to beat her like that again. Raiden is being a worrywart as he usually is and Liu Kang and the other dude are invisible. Stay tuned for more Kombat! Same bat-time, same bat-channel!**


	4. Sonya Blade

**Chapter 4 is out! This took a long time, but I swear I have my reasons. First of all, I was reading The Coming of Winter (a great fanfiction, definitely a must-read) and I was so emotionally drained after reading it I could not write for days. Secondly, I was really, really distracted playing Mortal Kombat Trilogy. So much so that I couldn't even think about anything other than the events of Shao Kahn's invasion of Earthrealm. Due to that, I couldn't think of anything to write for this chapter. Also, I have no idea what Sonya's character is like, so I just made her a bit of a stubborn butt-kicking heroine that every feminist would like (though it makes me cry). So here it is, Sonya vs Kano in the longest chapter yet!**

* * *

**Chapter 4**_  
_

Sonya awoke with a headache and a dull pain in her side. The last thing she remembered was Kano breaking her ribs before she blacked out to the pain. Somehow, she had ended up back at the residence area with no broken bones or serious permanent damage. It was nothing short of a miracle that she had survived that beating with only a headache and a dull pain to tell of it. As Sonya walked towards her room, she started thinking about what had happened.

After the morning's fight and breakfast, Sonya had decided to explore the island. Seeing as she was in the Special Forces and this was an island that did not appear in any map or any record of any sort, she was naturally inquisitive. She didn't go far before storm clouds rolled in, so she ducked beneath the nearest cover she could find, which was, incidentally, the Warrior Shrine. However, instead of the torrent of rain she had expected, she was surprised and fairly amused to witness what she called "disco lightning", multicolored bolts of lightning flashing rapidly to simulate the inside of a nightclub. She was so absorbed by the sight that she did not notice someone creeping up on her, something she kicked herself for.

Kano had snuck up on her and brought his hands together to form a massive fist before smashing it into the back of her head. Sonya stumbled forward and quickly turned around to face her assailant, but could not react before Kano beat the living daylights out of her. He ran up to her and kneed her in the gut, causing her to double over. He then grabbed her by the ponytail and jerked her head up, and punched her in the face. Next he kicked her a few times before throwing her into a pillar.

"What's the matter mate?" he taunted. "Why don't you try to fight me for the sake of your unit? Too weak to stop me, just like the first time, eh? Heheheheh."

Sonya had just struggled onto her feet and was about to respond when Kano sauntered over and struck her in the solar plexus. Sonya doubled over again and Kano smashed her into the ground. He proceeded to kick her repeatedly in the ribs until snapping sounds were heard. That was when she started to black out, but she could vaguely tell that some people had arrived. Whether they were friend or foe, she did not know, but somehow she was healed and transported to this location.

She was quite grateful to whoever had helped her, but her match with Kano was tomorrow, and, judging by the position of the sun, it was nearly evening, probably late afternoon. Sonya decided to train a bit before finding dinner.

Training facilities were surprisingly easy to find. It seemed that any pagoda that she entered somehow had exactly what she was looking for, whether it is food or equipment or a bath or anything else that she might've wanted. Briefly scanning the pagoda she had entered, she noticed that a boxing ring of sorts was in the left half of the room, and other gym equipment filled the rest. Being trained in Tae Kwon Do, she decided to go through some movements while she reflected on the events of the morning.

It wasn't the fact that she got beaten up by Kano that got to her. Nor was it the fact that she was helpless to stand against it. No, it was what Kano had said that really got to her. _"Why don't you try to fight me for the sake of your unit? Too weak to stop me, just like the first time, eh?". _Yes, every time she replayed that fight in her mind, it was that line that got her blood boiling. As she continued through her movements she could feel the rage building up inside of her. She needed to let it out. Seeing some punching bags and dummies in a corner, she walked over and unleashed her rage on them.

_Just like the first time. _She would never forget what he was talking about. Her unit had been assigned to investigate reports of the Black Dragon smuggling arms and drugs into the country via shipments of stuffed toys. The Black Dragon is a massive crime cartel and had been a thorn in the Special Forces side for a long time. Sonya had felt honored when she discovered that she would be leading the unit in an investigation against the Black Dragon, especially as she had recently been promoted to the rank of 1st Lieutenant. She didn't want to just bust the smuggling ring; she wanted to link the smuggling ring directly to the Black Dragon. Over the years, the Special Forces had received less and less funding, presumably due to the fact that results were not being seen or felt. Sonya hoped that, by busting and linking the smuggling ring to the Black Dragon, the Special Forces might get a boost in funding. After all, the main reason results were not being produced was due to the lack of funding...

Therefore, Sonya had worked meticulously for months setting up the capture of a high-ranking member of the Black Dragon with the busting of the smuggling ring. She had rehearsed and trained the unit so that they knew what to do by heart. Her plan was to lure the Black Dragon member to the unloading area for the shipment of stuffed toys and ambushing all of them and capturing them. The specific member of the Black Dragon was a wanted man in 15 different countries, a cutthroat by the name of Kano. She and several other members of the Special Forces had had run-ins with him before, including a close friend of hers, Jax, who had messed his face up so badly that he wore the metal covering that he does now. The unit she had been given was small, but had enough bodies to cover the area to ensure that no one escaped.

On the day of the operation, however, something went wrong. Kano had expected the ambush and instead captured the unit. As it turns out, the Black Dragon had managed to infiltrate the Special Forces and knew all along what was in store. Kano would've sent all the prisoners to the Black Dragon headquarters, but he realized that one of them had eluded capture. Figuring that the remaining survivor might track down the captured unit to the headquarters of the Black Dragon, he instead ordered that they be brought onto the boat that would sail for Shang Tsung's island. He would request that Shang Tsung help hold the unit prisoner for the duration of the tournament and hopefully draw out the remaining member of the Special Forces unit that he had not captured. As the Black Dragon thugs dragged the prisoners away, Kano stayed behind for a moment. Seizing this opportunity, Sonya dropped behind him and confronted him.

Sonya had not made a sound when suddenly Kano spun around and threw a kick to her head. She ducked under it and retaliated with a kick of her own, which Kano sidestepped.

"Though I might draw you out if I did that," Kano smirked.

"I'm going to capture you and then you will release my unit," said Sonya through grit teeth.

"HA!" laughed Kano. "I'd like to see you try, girly."

Sonya leaped at him with a punch, but he sidestepped it and kneed her in the stomach. Sonya doubled over but grabbed a handful of Kano's garment so she dragged him down with her. She pulled hard on the clothing to upright herself while pulling Kano into the ground. Kano rolled onto his feet and then through the air towards her, caught her off guard, smashed into her and sent her flying a good few feet. Kano charged at her, but Sonya simply rolled onto her back as he got close and threw the gangster over her, as he could not control his momentum. The Black Dragon member crashed into a shipping container and slid onto the ground. Sonya closed the distance between them in four strides and grabbed Kano by his garment.

"You _will _release my unit. _Now,_" she ordered.

Kano spat and grinned obligingly. "No need to get nasty, mate. I'll do what you tell me to."

Sonya was about to turn Kano around and put him into a submission hold when she felt cold steel enter her abdomen. Kano had stuck a butterfly knife into her as she held him and she didn't even notice it until it was inside her. She tried to say something but only coughed out blood. Sonya collapsed onto the ground and released her grip on Kano. He laughed and walked off after his thugs, leaving Sonya to die. She would not die so easily, however. The Special Forces had developed a medical gel that would close light wounds like the stab, and Sonya carried a packet in her wristband. She pulled the knife out (which didn't have a long blade, thankfully) and applied the gel. She was instantly overcome with a cool feeling in her abdomen, and she could feel the gel repairing the wound immediately. Getting back onto her feet, she ran after Kano. Wherever he was taking them, she would follow. She had been assigned the unit to bust the smuggling ring and she hadn't even accomplished that. Instead, she had gotten them captured and she would take responsibility for their well-being.

Coming back to the present, Sonya is covered in a sheen of sweat and breathing hard. She had wrecked two punching bags and three dummies, but she had yet to work out her rage. She will not let her unit be endangered. She will beat Kano and extort the location of her unit from him and then she will rescue them. And woe be unto whoever got in her way, she is on a mission and nothing will stop her.

* * *

The rest of the day passed uneventfully for her. After dinner, she had a relaxing bath and went to bed early. Sonya planned on being in her best condition for her fight with Kano. When she woke up, she was dismayed to see dark storm clouds like yesterday. Unlike yesterday, the clouds today were pouring rain. Grabbing an umbrella from the foot of her bed (which she swore was not there yesterday), she was about to go to the courtyard, when a note on a circular couch table caught her eye.

**_Do not go to the courtyard,_**it read. **_Guards will escort you to my throne room - Shang Tsung._**

Sonya exited her pagoda and was mildly shocked to see three armed guards waiting to escort her to the throne room. Though the rain was torrential, the guards did not change their attire or even appear disturbed by the heavy rain. She was lead to the courtyard, then into an alley at the side of the courtyard which lead to Shang Tsung's Garden. It had a fantastic view of a pool fed by several waterfalls and was decorated with statues of dragons and a four-armed gargantuan. The vines and the ivy growing on the statues and walls and the undergrowth peeking through the ground only added an ancient feel that enhanced the beauty of the garden. If the weather condition wasn't so terrible, Sonya would've enjoyed touring the area. Sonya was led past the garden and to a medium sized building that looked like a shrine.

The wind was picking up and there were flashes of lightning as Sonya entered the buildings and she marveled at how dry she was. She suspected the umbrella to be enchanted, because she was pretty sure that any normal umbrella (and consequentially, her) would've been soaked through if used in such conditions. The umbrella she used however, looked like it could withstand a few more minutes of use in the storm outside.

Looking at the interior of the room, Sonya was impressed by the design and decorations. Shang Tsung was sitting in the back of the room on a blue and gold throne. At his side were two gold statues of dragons pointing towards him. The walls were red and so was the thin carpet that stretched from one side wall to the other. The room had several red pillars, with golden dragons wrapping themselves around the pillars. There were several windows around the room too, and all of them had the same dragon logo at the center. Sonya continued to look around the room, and saw the other Kombatants all standing together by a pillar. As she walked towards them, she caught a snippet of a conversation between the movie star and the rice hat weirdo.

"So, are you causing the lightning or what?"

A smile. "Even in my true form, the dark magic and sorcery around the island nullifies my control over the storm. I am only able to use my powers as it is because I am in a mortal form competing in the tournament."

The actor was about to say something, but saw Sonya approaching and instead flashed her a smile.

"Hi babe, Johnny Cage. How are you doin'?" he asked suavely.

She ignored him and stood at the back of the group.

"Welcome, Kombatants!" announced Shang Tsung once Sonya had chosen a spot to stand. "It appears the weather isn't so good today. No matter, that means we will be able to accelerate the schedule and have more fights in one day! Now then, let us commence with our scheduled fight before having some breakfast, and then we can have our last pair of Kombatants fight! Could Kano and Sonya step up please?"

Kano flipped onto the red carpet and laughed cockily. "Ready to get your face beaten in like yesterday, girly?"

Sonya stepped onto the carpet and coolly blew away some hair out of her eyes. "You caught me by surprise yesterday. You can't handle me in a fair fight."

Kano sneered. "My knife thirsts for you blood again."

"Round 1...FIGHT!"

Kano tucked himself into a ball and launched himself at Sonya, but she blocked it and he bounced off her harmlessly. Sonya took advantage of Kano's drop in guard as he bounced off by springing forward and grabbing the gangster with her legs while supporting her weight with her hands. Then, the lieutenant brought her legs back to where they were before and smashed Kano into the ground. The Black Dragon's body bounced a few times before he stopped bouncing and got onto his feet. He threw a butterfly knife at Sonya, which she ducked under, and ran at her, closing the distance between them in a few strides. He engaged her in hand-to-hand combat, but neither side could get an advantage. Finally, Kano got frustrated and threw a massive right hook. Sonya caught the arm and flipped Kano over her. Kano recovered in midair and landed on his feet, but threw some butterfly knives as he was landing. Sonya barely dodged them and the knives left several thin streaks on her face and arms. Sonya grit her teeth and ignored the pain, instead advancing on Kano, who adopted a defensive stance. Both Kombatants circled each other for a few seconds before Sonya threw a kick at Kano. Kano sidestepped it and tackled her to the ground. They rolled around on the ground for a while before Kano gained dominance and sat on the Special Forces member and pummeled her with punches to the face, stomach and sides. Sonya raised her arm in front of her face and tried to protect herself the best she could but could do little to stop Kano's attacks.

Sonya knew that she had to get Kano off or he would beat her senseless. Acting immediately, she grabbed Kano's right arm as he punched her and pulled the arm towards her, unbalancing Kano. Simultaneously, she lifted her pelvis and thrust it to the left, throwing off Kano and allowing her to roll on top. She was about to repay Kano for what he did when Kano threw a left hook and knocked her off. Sonya rolled onto her feet and leaped at Kano as he tried to get back up, knocking him back down to the ground. She grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back with one arm while pushing his head into the ground with the other.

"Give it up Kano, I win this round," she ordered.

Kano mumbled something indiscernible as his head was being pushed into the floor.

"Sonya wins," declared Shang Tsung after letting that continue for a few seconds.

At Shang Tsung's declaration, Sonya let go of Kano and backed off a few steps. Blood flowed steadily from the cuts she received, though they were starting to stem, and she was aching all over from where Kano had hit her. The sight of Kano getting up gave her some strength, however. He was bleeding just as badly as Sonya and had a massive bruise on his face due to his head being shoved into the ground. He was also clutching his side with his right arm, presumably due to being smashed into the ground. Both Kombatants were breathing hard and both of them knew that the second round would have to be a quick one, and both of them dreaded the possibility of a third round, though one less than the other.

"You got off easy that time, girly," snarled Kano. "I ain't gonna hold back this round."

"I'm not failing my unit again," scoffed Sonya. "You beat me twice using underhand tactics. There's no way I'm losing to you in a fair fight."

"Well, prepare to," sneered Kano. "I'm about to wipe the floor with you."

"Round 2...FIGHT!"

Kano took off running at Sonya with a knife drawn. Sonya waited for him to extend his arm before grabbing it and pushing it to the side. Next, she kneed him in the stomach and twisted Kano's wrist until he naturally dropped the knife. Sonya kneed him in the gut again, but this time Kano held onto her leg and swept her other leg out, causing her to fall. Still, she did not let go of her grip on the gangster and pulled him down with her. This worked out to Kano's favor, however as he found himself mounting Sonya again, and he grabbed her neck and choked the life out of her. As he did so, he shook her, banging her head against the ground, further incapacitating her. The lieutenant tried to pry off Kano's grip, but could not. Sonya, thinking quickly, rolled onto her back so she could grab Kano with her legs and locked her legs around his neck as well, putting them at a stand-off, neither willing to release the other while both choking to death. Kano was about to gloat when Sonya grabbed him, so he had a lungful of air, but Sonya had been put in a strangle hold longer than Kano and without a lungful of air, and was quickly blacking out. As a final act of desperation, she attempted to lift Kano with her legs to get him off her, but Kano would not budge. That little jolt was enough to get Sonya's wristbands to clang together, and fire a blast at the Black Dragon with enough force to knock him off her and release his death-grip on Sonya's throat. With Kano off her, Sonya gasped in deep lungfuls of desperately needed air. Kano too allowed himself to catch his breath.

"Lucky for you, girly, I made a little mistake," growled Kano. "But that's just delaying the inevitable."

Without giving her a chance to respond, Kano charge at Sonya and tried to tackle her again, but Sonya saw it coming (third time isn't the charm in this case) and sidestepped it, and Kano went sailing past her and landed with a belly flop. With three big strides, Sonya caught up with Kano and grabbed him by the garment. To prevent him from stabbing her as he did the first time she had held him like that, Sonya smashed the thug's face into a nearby pillar. _Crack, crack, crack. _Again and again until his body went limp in her hands.

"FINISH HIM!" ordered Shang Tsung.

"No," replied Sonya. "I need him to tell me where he's imprisoning the remainder of my unit before taking him back with me to HQ for detention."

Shang Tsung smirked evilly. "As a contestant in Mortal Kombat, he is granted amnesty while he is on the island."

"Amnesty?" cried Sonya, shocked. "You can't do that!"

"I can and I will. This is my island kingdom and you will not lay a finger on him unless it is in a fight...to the death. Now FINISH HIM or leave him, you are not to do anything to him against his will while he is under my protection. Besides, he turned your unit over to me for safekeeping until the tournament is over."

"YOU? Tell me where you are keeping them or, so help me, I'll-"

"I will make you an offer, Lt. Sonya Blade. If you can achieve victory in Mortal Kombat, I will not only release your entire unit in tip-top shape, I will also hand Kano over to you."

Sonya gnashed her teeth. Her instincts were telling her not to trust the sly man, but she knew that she could not do anything against him, not while surrounded by his guards and after an intense fight like the one she had just gone through.

"Very well," she sighed. "I _will _defeat anyone in my way, including you, Shang Tsung. Nothing and no one can stop me from saving my unit." She turned to face the other Kombatants. "So you guys better watch out. I'm not going to let up on you."

With that, she walked back to join the group, though she stood a little ways off from the main group.

"Mercy. EXCELLENT," said Shang Tsung with an evil smirk. "Let us enjoy some breakfast. And after that, we can have the last pair that haven't fought yet go, Liu Kang and Jaylen!" As he said this, he waved to several of the nearby guards, and they promptly left the building to get breakfast.

Sonya leaned against a pillar, still a little ways off from the main group. She was deep in thought and did not notice two people glancing at her and talking about her.

"Pretty strong fighter, that woman," commented Raiden.

"Beautiful too," added Johnny.

Raiden focused for a few seconds and used his thunder-god-mind-reading powers to read Sonya's mind. "This woman may pose a strong obstacle to you, Cage. She is determined to rescue her squad from the clutches of Shang Tsung and the thug, Kano, that she had just defeated, and she will not let anyone get in her way. You will have to use all your skill and resourcefulness to best her."

"That's no problem. She's gonna get caged just like the last guy who tried to fight me."

"You mean the thug that knocked you out in one blow?"

"...Shut it."

As the conversation continued, Sonya was thinking about the future and what she would do. _I never expected this to happen. It was supposed to be a simple ambush, how did it turn into this? When I had jumped onto the boat after Kano, the most I had expected was a handful of thugs and a rematch with Kano, but instead here I am fighting in a tournament not only more my life, but for the life of my unit. And the competition is pretty tough. Whoever rescued me was capable of at least defeating Kano, so that puts them at around my level. And what about the others? How strong are they? Can I take them? No...For the sake of my unit, I WILL take anyone who is unfortunate enough to be my opponent. Now then...about breakfast..._

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**Hope you enjoyed the fights and the flashbacks and stuff! This is one of the chapters that doesn't revolve solely on the fight, but also offers a look at the island and the mind of the Kombatant, something I took away from The Coming of Winter. Next round Liu Kang vs. Jaylen (the OC). If anyone knows who the OC is based on, I'll write you something special ;)  
**


	5. Liu Kang

**Man this one sure took its time. Mainly because I wrote two versions of this chapter, but decided to go with this one. They are mostly the same anyways and I feel this is slightly superior. After a month and a bit of nothing, here is Liu Kang vs OC! And for those who don't know who the OC is, here's a video that will explain everything. Youtube /watch?v=hsCgpRa_iUo Most of the dialogue for that guy comes from the video but slightly adjusted for the purposes of the story (and also because it's hard typing all of his lines, I just skipped some of the less important ones). A quick filler chapter but it solves the problem of having a tournament with 7 people.**

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**Chapter 5  
**

Breakfast was served quickly after the fight was over. Guards had brought not only the feast that was to be breakfast but also several long tables. On the tables were set towers of golden brown toast and pancakes were topped with dripping, golden butter. Pitchers of syrup were also set at intervals along the table for general use, as well as spreads of every kind. There were also jugs of milk and a variety of cereals, as well as yogurt and massive bowls of fruit. For the meat eaters, there were mountains of bacon and sausages and eggs. The food was as plentiful as it was diverse, and all had the chance to gorge themselves full, though not everyone took the chance. The next two fighters ate sparingly, if at all, and prepared for the oncoming fight. Jaylen ate some toast with some jam and then proceeded to stretch his muscles. As for Liu Kang, he did not eat at all. Instead, he sat, cross-legged, and meditated. It wasn't that he wanted to meditate over eating, it was the chi of the island reeked of death, decay and dark powers, giving him extreme nausea and rendering him unable to eat much.

_Breath in, breath out. _Those were the words of his master when he was taught how to attune himself to his chi, the energy within all living beings. _Empty your mind of all things and concentrate on the core of your being. _Liu Kang did just that and all the noises and smells of the world seemed to be a million miles away as he attuned himself to his chi. _One can be one with the flow of the chi of the entire world only when one is in harmony with his own. _Liu let the chi fill him and extended his senses out to feel the chi of the other Kombatants. He started with the one easiest to find, the man with the straw hat. His chi was electric and very powerful, even novices could sense his chi without a need to focus. Next he moved onto the unconscious man on the floor with the metal plating over the right side of his face. His chi was as cold and cruel as the blades he wielded. Then, he extended his senses towards the woman in green. Her chi was metallic like her rivals, but, unlike the unconscious gangster's, was heated by the fire of determination. Finally, he could sense the massive chi of Goro through the solid rock that separated them. His chi is so massive that the distance between them does not dampen his power, or at the very least, it did not feel like it is dampened.

Having conducted his warm-up, Liu Kang started to deeply concentrate on his inner core to find the chis that were harder to find. First, he felt the actor. Though the man is proud and boastful, his chi is not. It is the only chi that Liu Kang had ever encountered that actively tried to hide itself, and it almost did elude his senses when he first scouted his opponents out on the boat ride to the island, but he had managed to detect a sliver of the chi, and the deception did not hold. The movie star's chi is the opposite of the man. While the person is loud and boastful, his chi is hard to detect and did not give away much. However, they share a common characteristic: they are both stronger than they let on. When Liu Kang had conducted his first chi survey at the beginning of the tournament, he had almost missed the actor's chi. It was a slippery one and tried to evade detection, but once Liu Kang got a hold of it and felt it thoroughly, he felt the strength that it had in reserve. With a chi like that, the actor would a formidable foe indeed.

Next, Liu tried to detect Shang Tsung's chi, but he could not isolate any one chi by itself. Shang Tsung had absorbed so many souls that finding his actual chi (or specifically finding any other) was a task impossible for even Liu Kang, who constantly meditated and was considered a master on the sensing of the chi of others. In the maelstrom of souls that Shang had absorbed, Liu could sense the death-cold chi of the cyromancer who was slain by his rival. While he was sensing the chi near Shang Tsung, he detected a distinct chi close to Shang Tsung, but did not belong to him. The chi was like the chi of the lizards he used to probe when he was still a novice training. Liu Kang decided not to put too much thought into it, as the mysterious chi's owner had yet to show himself. Finally, he turned his attention towards his opponent, Jaylen. It was Jaylen's chi that worried Liu the most because it felt...normal. All the other Kombatants had distinct and powerful chis, but his opponent had one that told him nothing. That meant he would go into the fight knowing nothing about the specialties of his opponent, and would be susceptible to anything. Nevertheless, Liu would have to overcome the next fight if he was to defeat Shang Tsung and bring honor back to the tournament of Mortal Kombat.

Liu Kang often detected the chi of other living beings to deeply attune himself to his own chi like what he was now doing. Finishing that, he reached deep inside himself and to bring out his own chi. Bringing it out would be an incorrect way of stating how he does it, inviting it out would be more accurate. As the warm, familiar chi surged through his arms and into his hands and out through the palms, Liu Kang got up from the cross-legged sitting position he was in. His chi manifested itself as blazing fire and encompassed his hands, neither leaving smoke nor burning his hands. Liu Kang began to make wave his arms in complicated patterns, and the fire trail that he left behind mesmerized all the people who turned to look at the commotion. He drew the dragon logo that appeared so often on Shang Tsung's island and extinguished the flames. Having attuned himself to his chi, he was now ready to fight, and it did not escape Shang Tsung's notice.

"It appears that the next fight is about to begin," said Shang with an evil grin. "Liu Kang and Jaylen, please step forth onto the red carpet!"

Liu Kang gracefully flipped onto the red carpet with a monkey-like cry. Jaylen set aside the toast he was munching on and strolled onto the carpet as well. Both Kombatants looked at each other respectfully and bowed. In the following seconds of silence, Liu Kang studied his opponent. His opponent had dark skin, and moss-like hair covering his head. He wore a grey shirt with blue and black stripes and jeans. He was stretching in preparation for the fight and did not appear uneasy at all, but instead carried a confident aura around him. The atmosphere was set. Unlike the previous fight, this one will have little trash talking, but a lot more fighting.

"Round one...FIGHT!"

Liu Kang leaped at Jaylen with a flying kick, but he ducked under it and tried to sweep Liu's legs out as he landed, but he jumped as soon as he landed, avoiding the sweep. As soon as he landed, he closed the distance between his opponent and assaulted him with a barrage of quick strikes, accenting each blow with a monkey-like cry. Jaylen managed to hold his own for the most part but the discrepancies in skill soon became apparent as more and more of Liu Kang's jabs landed. The sparring continued for a few seconds more until Kang got a solid palm strike on his opponent's solar plexus, doubling him over. Liu Kang followed up with a back-fist to the temple and a spinning kick, knocking Jaylen down. By this point, Jaylen was pretty badly beat up. Liu Kang's strikes were powerful and fast, and each blow that connected left a bruise, coming together to form a brilliant tapestry on Jaylen's face arms and body. Jaylen's nose was broken and breathing hard, but wore a grin that somewhat unnerved Liu Kang.

"Stand down my friend, this is not a fight you can win," said Liu Kang

"No chance," grinned Jaylen. "Y'know, ever since I was a kid, I'd always look up to superheroes and wonder, like, how come I'm just a human being? I'm so worthless. Oh, what can I do? I can run, I can jump, I can flip. And it's just like; we're so limited as human beings. And when I see superheroes, why can't we be that exciting and that awesome? But I feel like, during some time of meditation, I realized something. All of that is possible and more. It's all in here." As he said that he pointed to his head. "It's all in your mind. Think of anything you ever tried to do. You thought to yourself 'man I could never do that'. But then when you practiced it, guess what. You got better at it and you achieved it didn't you? It's the same thing with super powers. Of course it sounds absurd when you first look at it, but if you try it, and actually set your mind on it and believe, you can achieve it. I saw you make fire from the power of your hands. I know it's real, you channeled your energy from within, and you believed and you channeled that energy from the creation of your mind, from what your mind believed, and you spoke into existence of the power that you had. I feel like anything you set your mind to, your mind can create that force because your mind is a powerful machine that whatever you set it to and believe and work towards achieving it, you can do it. And I believe I can be a Super Saiyan. You might think it's funny, but anyone on my level of intellect will understand what I'm saying. I'm believing and creating that energy and channel through my mind. Now I might not turn full Super Saiyan, I might turn full Super Saiyan, or you might just get a glimpse of it, of that power, but this is my first time showing this side of me to the world. This is it. Alright."

Jaylen took a few deep breaths before spreading his legs apart and bending them. He clenched his fists and bent his arms and held them tight at his sides. Liu Kang, intrigued, dropped his guard and watched on. Without a warning, Jaylen started to scream as if he was constipated until he was near hoarse. Every time his voice was about to give way, he would take a breath and start screaming with renewed vigor. After a full minute of yelling, he took off his shirt and screamed harder than he was before, if it is even possible. Finally, after another minute of yelling, he gave an almighty shout and the air around him pulsed. All the people presented turned and shielded their eyes as bright golden light exploded out of Jaylen's body.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Standing on the carpet was...Jaylen. There was absolutely nothing different about him except that he rolled his eyes back so that one could only see the whites of his eyes. He was looking down at the floor and breathing hard. Finally, he looked up at Liu Kang.

"My name is Jaylen and I'm a Super Saiyan," whispered Jaylen.

"Show me what you can do, Super Saiyan."

Jaylen needed no further prompting. He sprang forward with a left handed chop, and Liu Kang ducked under it and threw an uppercut at Jaylen's gut, winding him and he dropped like a brick. Jaylen growled and ran at Liu Kang as soon as he got up and was upon him in a flurry of punches and kicks. Liu Kang fended off the assault and retaliated with a high kick that connected with the Super Saiyan's jaw, sending him flying across the room. Liu sprang into the air at Jaylen and brought his elbow down onto the "Super Saiyan's" back, smashing him into the floor, where he lay in a crumpled heap.

"Liu Kang wins," declared Shang. "Let round two begin...FIGHT!"

Liu Kang shifted into a fighting stance, but Jaylen did not get onto his feet. He continued to lay on the ground, unable to get up.

"..."

"..."

"It would appear that Jaylen is unable to continue fighting," said Shang Tsung with a hint of disappointment. "The match goes to Liu Kang."

Liu Kang bowed with a battle cry that sounded like a monkey screeching.

_I am closer to reclaiming the tournament now my brothers. I will liberate it from the evil clutches of the sorcerer and bring honor back to the name of Mortal Kombat._

"That concludes this morning's fighting," announced Shang Tsung. "The next fight will be tomorrow. And, starting from now, you cannot win your match unless you kill your opponent. Just a little twist I added to make things interesting. The storm has blown itself out and you may have the rest of the day to enjoy yourselves. Dismissed."

Liu Kang immediately turned on his heels and walked out of the building.

"Man, that was disappointing," said Cage. "I was really expecting more when that bright light burst out."

"I can't help but feel the same," admitted Raiden. "When you get so much screaming and yelling, you really can't help but expect something crazy to happen, especially when bright light starts pouring out of his body. But that's beside the point. The monk was able to knock out his opponent in one round. That is an unprecedented event and should not be taken lightly. I think that it is inevitable that you will face him in kombat and it would be unwise to go into it without caution."

"Yeah yeah," scoffed the actor. "I got this."

"Confidence is good, but one must not let it become an obstacle. Anyways, we should follow the monk and get him to join us."

"What? Do you think that I'm not good enough to handle it myself? The great Johnny Cage?"

Raiden coughed drily. "Of course not... I really meant to say we should explain what's going on to him. Yes. That is what I meant. No doubt in you whatsoever and certainly not developing a back-up plan."

"That's what I thought. Now let's go!"

* * *

**Next chapter: some fun exploration. I've got some plans for the next chapter but I don't even know how it's gonna turn out. Expect another long wait for the next chapter.  
**


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